THE Mayor of Launceston Cllr Dave Gordon has announced that after only seven months he has been able to purchase the special bed Freddy Jackson of Launceston desperately needed.

Freddy and his twin brother Bobby suffered from twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). This caused an uneven blood flow between the twins, with Bobby receiving more nutrients and fluid. Bobby, the recipient twin, grew too big whilst Freddy, the donor twin, grew too slowly. The boys were born in May 2017 by caesarean but sadly Bobby was born sleeping.

“But, because of his complex conditions Freddy requires constant care and, although he had a bed which was kindly donated by another family, he quickly outgrew it.

Upon hearing Freddy’s story Cllr Gordon decided to make ‘Freddy’s Fund’ his mayor’s charity of the year. The aim was to raise around £4,000 to provide two-year-old Freddy with a specialised bed.

Delivery of the bed is scheduled for today [Thursday].

Cllr Gordon said: “Needless to say I am absolutely delighted that Freddy will get the bed he needs, and for him to have the bed before Christmas is fantastic. I had always hoped the bed could be purchased before Christmas, and it would not have been possible without the generous support of the people of our fantastic town.”